News Release

Kevin McNellis2011-07-28
Helena, MT--Lying quietly below most of Pennsylvania, the lucrative energy deposits of the Marcellus Shale formation have left energy companies and environmentalists alike saying "follow the money." Researchers at the National Institute on Money in State Politics did just that, drilling down to the bottom of oil and gas industry contributions in Pennsylvania in their latest report, "Names in the News: Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission."

As a candidate in the 2010 gubernatorial election, Tom Corbett ran on a platform opposing any form of tax on natural gas production. Donors in the oil and gas industry gave his campaign $1.3 million while only contributing $130,300 to his opponent Dan Onorato, who favored taxing the industry. The combined contributions from donors in the oil, gas, and mining industries were the fourth largest source of Corbett's 2010 gubernatorial and attorney general campaign funds – contributing 9 percent of his combined $29.4 million total.

This spring, the Governor named a dozen oil and gas employees to his new Marcellus Shale Advisory Commission, tasked with determining a course of action for the development of Marcellus Shale. Of the Commission's 30 members, 14 members and several of their spouses, almost all current or former oil and gas executives or lobbyists, contributed a combined total of $442,347 to Corbett's campaigns for Attorney General (2004, 2008, 2010) and Governor (2010). Last week when the Commission issued their final recommendations for the development of Marcellus Shale they included no call for any type of state-level tax on the natural gas industry. For a full list of Commission members who contributed and their donation amounts, click here.

Opinions about the issue of hydraulic fracturing, or "fracking," of Marcellus shale have become as abundant as the shale itself, fueling a fire between economic growth and a potentially negative impact on human and environmental health. As the number of natural gas wells in the state continues to increase and Pennsylvania remains the only energy producing state that lacks a specific tax on natural gas drilling, it seems thus far that the oil and gas industry has been successful at extracting influence.

The nonprofit, nonpartisan National Institute on Money in State Politics collects and analyzes campaign contribution information on state-level candidates, political party committees, and ballot committees. Its free, searchable database of contributions is online at FollowTheMoney.org.